I Get Homesick At Slumber Parties!

Dear Nikki,

I have this AWFUL secret. Okay, here it goes–I get homesick at slumber parties! It’s gotten so bad that I cried at my best friend’s last slumber party and my mom had to come pick me up. How do I get over my homesickness so that I can stay and have fun like everyone else?

Slumber Party Panic

Hi Slumber Party Panic,

Okay, this might feel like an awful secret, but I’ll be honest with you – I had a really hard time with sleepovers at first too! I think it’s really common. After all, someone else’s house can feel especially creepy at night when it’s dark and everything is unfamiliar. Plus your parents aren’t down the hall!

But I have a few ideas that might help!

First, you can work your way up to having a sleepover at someone else’s house by hosting one of your own! That way you can have all the fun while getting used to what it’s like to sleep in a jumble of kids on the floor and stay up way too late and play truth or dare or whatever you decide to do. And, don’t be surprised if you see one of your friends get homesick. You can help her feel better since you’ve been there!

The next step to working your way up to a slumber party is sleeping over at a very familiar house. If you’ve got grandparents or aunts and uncles nearby, this could be a good option. Or your BFF whose house you spend a lot of time at – but not a big party, just you and her. You’ll feel a lot more comfortable in a house you’ve spent a lot of time at and around people you know really well.

When you’re ready to try a big slumber party at someone else’s house, here are a few things you can do:

Bring the stuff from home that makes you comfortable – YOUR pillow, a stuffed animal, your favorite PJs, whatever. You can bring a book, journal, or audiobook to listen to if everyone else falls asleep and you’re still awake. Also bring a flashlight (or have a flashlight app on your phone), so that if you need to find your way to the bathroom in the night, you’re not tip-toeing through the dark.

Talk to the adult in charge. They’ll understand. You might just need some encouragement and they’ll be there for you.

Call your parents to say goodnight. There’s no reason to feel embarrassed about that, but if you do, you can blame them. Say they asked you to call. 🙂 If you don’t have a phone, just ask the adults who live there.

And look, if none of these things help, it’s honestly not the end of the world. Lots of people don’t like to sleep anywhere but their own bed. You can go to parties and get picked up around 10:00pm. Will you miss out on stuff? Maybe. But you’ll miss out on more if you don’t go because you’re miserable. I hope this helps!

What are your slumber party tips and tricks? How do you get over the fear of sleeping at someone else’s house? Tell us in the comments!